C F S  - Information International
 

Corticosteroid Treatment

At the NIAID  (National Inst. for Allergy and Immunological Diseases, US),  studies on the treatment of CFS-patients with the corticosteroid hydrocortisone (the effect of which is similar to prednisone) were performed,  McKenzie et al., 1998.  This study, whose design and quality was better than most, put an end to the hope for a general recommendations of this drug for CFS in doses equivalent to those used for Addison's disease.  However, contradictory results were presented by a group of English psychiatrists,  Cleare et al., 1999.  In their investigation, hydrocortisone was helping the CFS patients.  These contradictory results have inspired several letters to,  letters, Lancet, 1999  and   letters, JAMA, 1999.

Even low doses of corticosteroids, as a side-effect, these hormones lower bone mineral density,  McKenzie et al., 2000.  Also a study of very high quality, where much smaller doses of corticosteroids, both hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone were given in a cross-over design, indicated no improvement of CFS symptoms whatsoever,  Blockmans et al., 2003,  Blockmans et al., 2003 (pdf).
 

DHEA Treatment

Fludrocortisone Treatment